


First Choice

by SailorChibi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst with feels, Communication, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sam Wilson/Bucky Barnes, M/M, Miscommunication, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Post-Break Up, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective Peter, Protective Peter Quill, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, all the feels in the world IMO, like just once I wish he'd be selfish, mentioned Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes, my heart is so bitter, not team Cap friendly, one turns into the other, past break up, peter quill gives good hugs, steve fucks it up, steve rogers has a one track mind, suck it steve, tony breaks up with steve, tony stark deserves the world, tony stark is a good man, tony stark is full of compassion, tony stark moves on from the avengers, well happy for tony anyway, yes I used both tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 08:23:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11824818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Two years ago, Tony's heart was broken when Steve picked Bucky over him.Now, he was certain that the past was repeating itself with Peter and Gamora.He was wrong.





	First Choice

**Author's Note:**

> So I have a huge weakness for Stuckony fics where Tony tries to break up with Steve so that Steve and Bucky can be together, and then Steve and Bucky decide they want Tony as well and it turns into a happy threesome. But! I was in the shower tonight and thought, what about if Tony did that and Steve took him up on it? That, plus an anon on tumblr who loves my bitter heart, inspired this fic. So I typed this up in one night, threw a shitty title on it and here you go.

_"Thanks for cooking dinner. It was -"_

_"You should go. To him, I mean. No hard feelings. We're still a team. Nothing will change even though we're over."_

_"...."_

_"Seriously. It's fine. I know you want him. You should find him and then have what you want."_

_"... Thank you."_

Tony's throat ached. Taking a shot of vodka didn't help. If anything, it just made him feel even more maudlin. He didn't know why he kept doing this. Re-watching the precise moment that his and Steve's relationship had officially ended was like the worst kind of torture. It brought that awful feeling of suffocation roaring back, especially since he could see details now that he couldn't see at the time, when he'd been too busy drawing on every ounce of strength to hold himself together until Steve hurried out of the room.

Things like the wariness on Steve's face when Tony first spoke, which all too quickly changed to shock and then - like a knife to the heart - relief. That relief confirmed everything Tony needed to know: if he ever started thinking that maybe he'd made a mistake, watching this minute-long video would set him straight. Steve had never really wanted him. Tony was a convenient stand-in. Second best, if that. And as soon as Steve had found out that Bucky was alive, it was like Tony ceased to matter. They'd barely hard a relationship in the end, as Steve's time away searching had grown longer and his greetings to Tony colder.

"Play it again, FRI," he said hoarsely, grabbing the bottle. In spite of how easily that shot had gone down, that was only his first. He watched it again, hand shaking a little as Steve turned and rushed out of the room. Didn't even give a second look to the man who'd funded Steve's life in the future and loved Steve with everything he had, just ran away like an imprisoned man offered freedom.

And now here it was two years later. The civil war that had torn the team apart was done and over. Tony had a new team now, and a new life. Even a new lover. Peter Quill, leader of the Guardians, was as different from Steve as anyone could be. He was funny and sarcastic and he loved to dance; that was actually how they'd kissed for the first time, after Peter had grabbed Tony's hands and hauled him up to dance to some music. When a slower song came on, Peter hadn't let go. He'd just leaned in and given Tony the perfect first kiss. It was straight out of an 80's romcom and it made Tony blush a little just remembering it.

Or at least it did usually. Now it was just cause for more heartbreak, because he was about to lose Peter exactly the same way he'd lost Steve.

"You sure attract winners, Stark," he muttered, tossing back a second shot. Yet it was hard to be too angry. He couldn't blame Steve or Peter for wanting someone better than Tony Stark. He was hardly the cream of the crop. If anything, he should be grateful that he'd gotten a year with Steve and eight months with Peter. It was foolish to be disappointed that here was another failed relationship. Three for three. Clearly it was time to give up.

He contemplated taking a third shot just for luck, but decided against it. Instead, he stored the bottle and wiped his hands on his hands. "Can you let Peter know I'd like to see him?" he asked FRIDAY.

"Sure thing, Boss."

Less than five minutes later, Peter walked into the workshop. "Stardust!" he cried, spreading his arms wide when he saw Tony, as though they hadn't seen each other in days instead of two hours.

Tony smiled in spite of himself. "My lord," he said playfully.

"I love it when you call me that." Peter grinned, walking over to him quickly. "It gets me all fired up. Wanna roleplay? You can be the servant and I'll be your master. Or..." He wiggled his eyebrows. "We can both be servants, running away from our evil master. I personally feel we should cast Rocket as the evil master." He reached for Tony's hands.

"I don't think Rocket would appreciate that," Tony said, looking down at their joined hands. It had to be now or he would never say it. "You can go to her, Peter. Nothing will change with the team. I understand."

"... What?"

"I don't want to stand in the way of your happiness. I know you want her and that's okay with me." His voice broke just once on the second syllable of the word "okay", but Tony wasn't crying yet so he considered it a win. Somehow, this was harder than it had ever been with Steve. Maybe because he'd allowed himself to dream about a future with Peter, whereas he'd never dared with Steve.

"No, seriously, what?"

"You can go," Tony finished, still staring at their hands. Waiting for Peter to rip his hands away and run out the door.

But Peter didn't. He did let go with one hand, which caused Tony's heart to skip a couple of beats in dread, but all he did was lift Tony's chin so their eyes met. "I think we're having two different conversations here," he said very seriously. "Or at least, you're having a conversation without me. What are you talking about?"

Now Tony had to spell it out? Fuck. It was like they wanted to stomp all over his heart. "You and Gamora. I can tell that you love her. It's okay. I get it." He squeezed Peter's hand and started to pull away. He couldn't do this.

"Hey, no. Tony." Peter's grip tightened. "I'm not in love with Gamora."

Tony stopped. He hadn't expected that. "But... the way you look at her... and the way you flirt..."

"I flirt with everyone," Peter pointed out. "You do the same thing."

"But..." Tony didn't know how to process this. He'd been so sure...

Gently, Peter reeled him in. He lifted his arms in silent query and waited for Tony's nod before pulling him into a hug. "Gamora and I dated for about a month a year ago," he said, breath tickling the hair at the back of Tony's neck. "I had a huge crush on her. I think she was just humoring me more than anything. Either way, we decided that we were better off as friends and teammates. I still love her, but it's nothing compared to what I feel for you. I'm in love with _you_ , Tony."

Tony blinked rapidly, finally lifting his arms and hugging Peter back as hard as he could. "You mean that?"

"Yeah, Angel, I do." Peter kissed the top of his head. They stood there for a long time, just hugging, until Peter was supporting most of Tony's weight. When he grew tired, he eased Tony down onto the couch and sat beside him, wrapping an arm around Tony's shoulders and pulling him close.

Tony's thoughts were in turmoil. He was half-tempted to think that maybe Gamora and Peter were screwing around behind his back, but he knew better. Gamora was not that kind of woman, and Peter was not that kind of man. Besides, why would they need to sneak around when Tony had just offered Peter the perfect opportunity to break it off? It wasn't like the Guardians were benefitting from Tony's presence - they all insisted on paying rent and he was re-paid for any repairs he did to their ship, just to name a couple of (weird) things. There was no valid reason he could come up with for Peter to lie.

"Tony," Peter said, breaking the silence. "Would you really... I mean, do you want to break up? Is that why you would've let me go to Gamora?" He sounded baffled, and maybe just a little hurt.

"No!" Tony said, head shooting up. He clutched at Peter desperately, suddenly terrified he might've fucked up the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Then why?"

"Because... I thought..." Tony couldn't voice it. He couldn't explain that he'd tried to find a place in the greatest love story ever told, and that this was the only way he'd been able to save himself with a little dignity. He hid his face against Peter's shoulder.

"Tony?"

"FRIDAY, roll the video," Tony mumbled. Somehow, FRIDAY heard him. He cringed as he heard his own voice and Steve's again. He'd watched it so many times that he didn't need to see the video; it was playing in his brain.

Peter swore in a language Tony didn't recognize when the video was over. "Was that... I knew you dated him, but please tell me that wasn't how you got dumped."

"Well, no," Tony said, still hiding his face. "I broke up with him. If anything, I dumped him." And wasn't that a laugh. Tony Stark dumping Captain America.

"That's not what I saw. From the sound of it, you might have been the one with the balls to say it out loud. But wasn't it over long before that?"

Tony lifted his head, looking into Peter's face. Embarrassingly, the room went blurry as he nodded, and his voice quivered when he said, "For weeks... he was off searching for Barnes. He was distant, but I thought that was normal. I even tried to help in any way that I could, but eventually I realized that I was being stupid. The writing was on the wall from day one. Steve didn't really want me; as soon as he realized that Barnes was alive and kicking, he lost all interest in our relationship. If he even had any in the first place." He couldn't keep the bitterness from seeping in, because sometimes he legitimately wondered whether Steve had ever loved him at all.

How could someone who had loved him leave him for dead?

"I'm sorry," Peter whispered, cupping his cheek.

"No, I'm sorry. When I saw the way you and Gamora were acting, I thought -"

"It's okay. I see how you came to that conclusion." Peter threw a look of disgust at the blank screen. "Did he ever tell you? About him and Barnes?"

"The one time I asked, he said that there was nothing between them," Tony replied. He'd been a fool to believe that, but Steve had never lied to him before that. Or maybe it was just that Tony had never caught Steve in his lies before. Sometimes that was one of the hardest points, thinking about the sweet things Steve had said and wondering if they were true.

"You could have asked me about Gamora. I would've been honest."

"I know," Tony said, because he did know that. Peter was honest to a fault. It was refreshing. 

"And did he..." Peter hesitated. "Am I asking too many questions?"

"It's fine."

Peter looked a little worried, but asked anyway. "Did he ever apologize?"

Tony laughed at that. "Steve Rogers does not apologize. Not really. You saw that letter he left me. He did come talk to me about it once, after Natasha found out. She was pissed, which is ironic considering she took his side when push came to shove." Tony sighed and rubbed his face, wishing he had another shot. "He just said that he'd tried to put what was between him and Barnes behind him, but that he felt the need to salvage this one thing from his past." He glared at the screen, feeling a fresh surge of hurt. "I guess everything else in the future was good enough but me."

"You are more than good enough," Peter hissed, practically pulling Tony into his lap. "Rogers is a fool. You should turn them away."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. Alternatively, I can tell this story to Gamora and let her be the welcoming committee."

Tony smiled. Gamora was very protective of him, and she wasn't shy about hiding it. She'd once punched Stephen Strange in the stomach for scaring Tony by appearing out of nowhere. It was one of the reasons that Tony had planned to break up with Peter. Unlike Barnes, who went from being a complete stranger to the murderer who'd killed his parents, Tony actually liked Gamora. No matter how much it hurt, he would've gladly stood aside for her and Peter to be together if that's what they wanted, and this time he would've done it with no hatred in his heart.

"Don't do that. We might need their help against Thanos."

"I don't care. What he did to you, Tony... What _they_ did... you shouldn't forgive them. I know I won't." Peter's eyes were burning with determination, flecked with the beginnings of stars. It only happened when he was truly angry. Tony was torn between awe and surprise.

"I'm not worth it," he whispered.

There was complete conviction in Peter's voice when he answered, "You're worth everything to me."

That was it. Tony hadn't cried in two years. Not even when he thought he was dying in Siberia. But he couldn't stop the tears from welling over at that moment. He ducked his head, embarrassed, and covered his face. Peter just hugged him again and stayed right there with him until Tony's tears had stopped. Tony was exhausted by that point, and he was more than willing to let Peter bundle him into the elevator and up to their floor to bed. He fell asleep in Peter's arms, at peace for the first time in weeks.

The lingering unease over the rogue Avenger's return had settled to the point where Tony was able to greet them when they arrived at the compound. Peter stood at his side, their hands clasped, as Steve, Barnes, Sam, Wanda and Clint trooped down the loading dock. Natasha, Tony knew, was still in Wakanda with T'Challa, and Hope Pym had swooped Scott up the instant that he was back in the country. Remembering the fury on Hope's face when she talked about the Ant Man suit, Tony almost felt sorry for Scott. Almost.

"Hi Tony," Steve said, breaking the silence.

"Hello," Tony said stiffly. Looking Steve in the face stung more than he'd expected. He couldn't decide what hurt more: the first time Steve had thrown him aside like a piece of trash, or the second time Steve had done it. The first time had broken his heart, but the second time had nearly killed him. Thank god for Tony's new team. He squeezed Peter's hand and breathed easier when Peter squeezed back.

Steve's eyes dropped to their connected hands and he frowned a bit, but didn't comment. "We're ready to get to work."

"Good for you," Tony said, unable to keep the bite out of his voice. It was kind of fun watching Clint stiffen like a pup with its hackles up. "You can tell your liaison all about it. Carol will tell you everything you need to know about the way the new team runs."

All five of them looked in the direction that Tony had indicated. Tony was pleased to see that they all seemed shocked to see Carol waiting for them. She did cut a bit of a misleading figure: most people wouldn't be afraid of a 5'3 blonde woman. He literally could not wait to see what happened the first time Clint (because it would be Clint) put a toe out of line. Carol would kick his ass without a moment of hesitation. And then she'd probably kick Steve's ass just for good measure, because since coming to stay at the compound she'd had a lot to say about the actions of Captain America.

"Wait, why can't you do it?" Steve asked.

Tony threw him a look of disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

"What, too good for us, Stark?" Clint demanded.

"Well, yes," Tony said. "Frankly, I have more important things to do with my time."

"Tony!" Steve's voice was filled with disapproval. "We're here to work together. The least you could do is show us around the compound."

"Show you around?" Peter spoke up. "You lived here. You hardly need a tour."

Steve glared at him. "And who are you?"

"This is Peter Quill, a.k.a. Starlord," Tony said calmly, placing his free hand on Peter's chest. Was it his imagination, or did Steve's glare darken at the intimate touch? No, that had to be Tony's imagination speaking.

But then he glanced at the rest of the team, and he saw the way that Barnes was leaning into Sam. Tony's eyes widened slightly as he took in the arm that Sam had casually looped around Barnes's waist. It was possible that Tony was reading too much into an innocent situation, but it would certainly explain Steve's aggressive attitude. It was terrible of him but suddenly, he was hard-pressed to fight a smug grin. So much for Steve's great love story. It looked like Barnes hadn't been as eager to rekindle the relationship as Steve was. It was poetically fitting.

"Tony's boyfriend," Peter added, just to rub it in like the little shit he was.

Steve visibly startled. "Boyfriend? I thought -"

"We haven't announced it yet. We had bigger things to worry about," Tony said. "Besides, I don't care who knows. What matters is us." He smiled at Peter, aware that it was probably an embarrassingly soppy expression, but he didn't care. 

"Tony..." Steve said again. He didn't seem to know what else to say.

Clint, on the other hand, said, "So that's it. You're just gonna leave us here?"

"I owe you nothing. So yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Carol will show you to your rooms and give you the rundown. I suggest you listen to her. She doesn't take anyone's shit." Tony beckoned to Carol, who started walking towards them. He delighted in the disbelieving looks as she got closer. He'd purposely asked FRIDAY to make sure that everything got recorded when Carol got fed up.

"I wanted to talk," Steve tried.

"You can't afford my time," Tony said with a sunny smile. After months of dreading this moment, he was finding that it wasn't as bad as he'd thought. Yes he was still terrified of Steve (and of Barnes, to some degree), and yes there were probably some panic attacks and nightmares in his near future, and yes it still hurt like hell. But the twinge in his heart that he used to feel every time he looked at a picture of Steve, never mind the real-life man, was gone. He didn't feel anything even remotely close to love when it came to Steve Rogers.

Not now that he understood what real love was like. He looked at Peter, who understood and fell into step beside him as Tony walked away. Steve called after him, but Tony didn't bother to acknowledge him. Peter's hand was warm in his and he was looking forward to spending the night with someone who actually loved him. That was all Tony cared about.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
